NIH Opens the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) held a symposium and dedication ceremony on Monday, March 31 for the John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center, which brings neuroscientists from 10 institutes and centers across the NIH to a new facility meant to spur collaboration among neuroscientists and bring on new research innovations.

The two-day symposium featured five scientific sessions by leading neuroscientists from across the United States and within NIH. Topics included neuronal circuits, cell biology, and the genetics of brain disease. This new center is meant to spur new advances in understanding the nervous system in health and disease and has great implications for neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

The new center is one of the biggest neuroscience facilities in the world and includes more than 800 scientists in 85 laboratories from 10 institutes, including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which facilitates most of the Parkinson’s disease research at NIH.

The center is named after John Edward Porter, a former member of the House Appropriations Committee and chair of the subcommittee that funded NIH. In an NIH press release, Porter was called “a staunch supporter of biomedical research and the NIH mission.” Porter served in the House for more than 20 years, representing a district in Illinois and spoke on Monday during the dedication ceremony. Porter is also the chair of the Research!America Board of Directors, on which PAN CEO Amy Comstock Rick also serves.

In an NIH press release, Story Landis, director of the NINDS, said: “The concept for this building first arose when we saw a need for a place that could bring together scientists studying all aspects of the brain. We are delighted that the Porter Neuroscience Research Center is officially open and look forward to the many innovative discoveries that are bound to come from the programs in that building.”